


just fall in love with me (this christmas)

by miserably_inadequate



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas, Christmas Party, Christmas Presents, College, College games, Crushes, F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hugs, I just didn't know how to fit him in, I'm so sorry Zeno isn't in this, Insecurity, Jealousy, Kissing, Light Angst, Mistletoe, Mutual Pining, Pining, Romance, Single POV, Teasing, Truth or Dare, college party, happy hungry bunch and the darkness dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21902212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miserably_inadequate/pseuds/miserably_inadequate
Summary: Yona can feel dread building in her gut before Jae-ha even opens his mouth, for the pure mischief that spreads on his face is frightening.“Oh, I have a great idea–““–No.”“–oh, but Hak, you’ll love it–”“–No.”“–oh come on…” Jae-ha’s eyes flicker to hers, his grin spreading again. He kneels down before her, placing his jaw in his palms and elbows on the edge of the couch.“Yonaaa, please ~”“–uh…” she turns to Hak for help, though he can’t do much either. Hak sighs, raking his hand through his hair.“This better be good,Droopy-Eyes”. Jae-ha jumps up with glee, clapping his hands in excitement.“Oh yes, oh yes –it is!”“Then spit it out already”“We should play truth or dare!” Jae-ha twirls, too energetic.ora xmas party hakyona fic w/ the hhb shenanigans
Relationships: Son Hak & Yona, Son Hak/Yona, hakyona - Relationship
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88





	just fall in love with me (this christmas)

**Author's Note:**

> #### hi!
> 
> this is my second fic, so it's anywhere from perfect
> 
> title is from the song [cold december night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtB0LqyJsdA) by Michael Bublé (he has the best xmas music! <3)
> 
> fyi: everyone is roughly the same age & in college + old enough to drink alcohol
> 
> please enjoy this xmas fic of hakyona & hhb! <33

The snow flurries around her as she walks back to her dorm. Today was the last day of classes for the semester, which usually meant going home for the holidays– but for Yona, that wasn’t the case this year. Her father was too busy to fit her coming home into his schedule, and to be honest, she wasn’t too bummed out about it.

Sure, she’s a daddy’s girl, but she often has the luxury to go visit him during the semester anyway, since her school is only about two hours away. She’s lucky in that regard, unlike some of her friends whose families live on the other side of the country. 

Though, it also meant that for the first time in her life, she wouldn’t be spending Christmas with her family– well, her dad. This means that she would have to figure out what to do, since she doesn’t want to be alone on Christmas.

She opens the door to her dorm and is greeted by her roommate.

“Hey, how was last day of classes?” Lily asks her, patting her bed so that Yona would sit next to her. Yona slumps down on Lily’s bed, sighing.

“mm, exhausting… how ‘bout you?” she mumbles, wanting to go to bed even though it’s not even after 5pm.

“It was pretty chill, though I only had one class”. Yona hums as a response before remembering her Christmas plans– or lack of thereof. She wails her roommates name, earning her a sigh and eye roll.

“What is it now Yona? Is it Hak again?” Lily teases her, causing a blushing Yona to sit straight up.

“Wha– no!” she tries to cover her blush with her hands as she tries to change the subject, “I just don’t know what to do for Christmas, you know? Since I won’t be going home this year”.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I’m probably not the best person to ask since I’m leaving tomorrow”. Yona facepalms, she knew that Lily would be going home, she just forgot.

“Oh, but you know, you could always ask Hak to see what he’s doing” Lily wiggles her eyebrows at Yona, making Yona blush even harder. Yona grabs one of Lily’s mountain of pillows and hits her with it, starting a pillow fight. Lily hits her back, making Yona spring off the bed to find cover.

Their fight gets cut off abruptly by someone knocking on their door. They look at each other before Lily answers the door, finding Jae-ha on the other side.

“Hi ladies, I hope I’m not interrupting anything– there was after all, a lot of squealing coming from here” he smirks, always the pervert.

“Ha ha, funny Jae-ha” Lily deadpans, before asking him what he wants.

“–oh, yes. Well, some of us were thinking of going to celebrate of the end of the semester and we were wondering if you guys wanted to come along?”

“It sounds nice, who’s going?” Yona asks, absentmindedly twirling her hair around her finger. She was really tired up until Jae-ha showed up; the chance of getting to see Hak makes her alert.

“Well, the usual gang– and yes that includes Hak”, Jae-ha teases, making Lily laugh and Yona to hide her face in her hands.

“So, you coming?”

“Ah, I’ve gotta pack and then head to bed since I’m leaving early tomorrow morning, but Yona could use the night out”, Lily decides for her, making Yona gape– but she’s right. She could use the night out, plus she’ll get to see Hak. She sighs, before nodding.

“When were you guys thinking?”

“I think at like 9 since we’re all so tired anyway that we can’t be bothered to wait any longer than that”.

They say goodbye and Yona decides she needs a quick nap before getting ready; luckily, she has Lily to wake her in time.

* * *

Her cheeks sting as she treks through the snow to the bar. Fortunately, it’s just across the street and she spots her friends rather easily. She waves at them and sits down at the booth. Everyone but Hak and Jae-ha are there already, so they make small talk as they wait.

“Sorry we’re late!” Jae-ha excuses when they arrive a couple minutes later.

“Well, we wouldn’t have been late if it weren’t for _Droopy-Eyes_ who spent too long picking his outfit” Hak mutters, shrugging off his coat and sits down in the empty spot next to Yona. His complain makes Yona giggle, thinking that _‘it’s so like them’_. Jae-ha laments, mock-gasping at the betrayal.

They order their drinks and toast together for surviving another semester at college. Yona feels her throat burn from the alcohol, still not quite used to the feeling. She still hasn’t finished her first when some of the others are already ordering more. She tries to chug her drink, making her choke.

“You okay, Princess?” Hak whispers to her, placing his hand on her back. The nickname used to annoy her, but now– it makes her feel special.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. I’m just not used to the alcohol, I guess”, she replies when she’s stopped coughing. She looks up at him, finding those dark blue eyes observing her. Yona decides that she definitely needs more liquid courage to be able to keep eye contact with him and therefore looks elsewhere, as she hopes he thinks the flush on her face is from being a little inebriated and not anything else.

“You know, you don’t have to drink”, he says in a low voice, intending only for Yona to hear, as he rubs soothing circles on her back. Fuck, why does he have to be so considerate? He’s been that way ever since they met. One would think at first glance that he’s an asshole, but behind his sarcasm and relentless teasing– there’s a friend like no other. Yona knows she isn’t the only girl who’s been charmed by him, after all, he’s very easy to fall for.

“Mm, but I want to” she replies in the same low voice, peering back into those sharp yet soft eyes. She’s spent many hours daydreaming of them; however actually looking into them is frightening. She feels pinned under his gaze, like he can read her like an open book.

“Why? You clearly don’t like it”, Hak rests his head on his palm, leaning on the table but still facing her. Yona struggles to remember their conversation as his appearance is so distracting. Even just a simple movement makes her mesmerized by his muscles flexing. She didn’t know that she could be so physically _and_ emotionally attracted to someone until she met him, as her crushes have always been on the gentle types and they have always been more on the feminine side of the spectrum. She knew that her type has always been the kind, sweet and caring guys, but Hak is that and more. He’s funny– no, hilarious and really, _really_ handsome. Well, if you were to look up the definition of _‘tall, dark and handsome’_ , you would find Hak there.

“I–… I don’t want to be the only one not drinking anything…” she mimics his position on the table and sips her drink. He hums, thinking for a short while before smirking slightly.

“Hmm… well, then I won’t drink anything– then you wouldn’t be the only one”. Shit, she hadn’t thought of that.

“–no, I couldn’t ask that of you…!” she quietly whines with wide eyes, jolting up from her position on the table. He chuckles at her behavior, raking his hand through his hair. Damn, she wishes she could do that.

“But it’s not like I necessarily want to either… So, it’s nice to have someone else who also will be sober”, Hak smiles at her, making her heart race.

An already drunk Kija interrupts their conversation, “did someone say sober?”

“Uh, yeah I did, _White Snake_. Seems like you’re quite the opposite though”, Yona can’t help but laugh at Hak’s comment, further deepening the flush on Kija’s face. Well, he doesn’t seem too affected by it though, since he grabs her hands and asks her if he can hug her.

“–um, sure?” she blinks at him, rather taken aback by his request. She tentatively opens her arms and he practically throws himself at her and rocks her side to side. The commotion catches Jae-ha’s attention, also declaring he wants a hug from Yona. She peels herself away from Kija and has to climb over Hak to reach Jae-ha, blushing as Hak gently holds her hips steady when she moves past.

The hug with Jae-ha is basically the same as with Kija, except that it is longer and even tighter. Jae-ha being Jae-ha, whispers seductively in her ear, making her squeak and push away from him with a fierce blush spreading from her cheeks to her nose and ears. He laughs at her, raising his hands feigning ignorance.

“ _Droopy-Eyes_ , be nice”, Hak scolds, and she startles, realizing that she is sitting pressed up against Hak’s side. She turns her head looking up at him to really confirm that, yup she’s sitting really close to him– so close that she can smell his cologne. He’s resting his arm up on the back of the booth, and she wishes that he’d place it around her instead. Before she can scoot away from him, Jae-ha laughs at Hak’s comment and inches closer to her, making her instinctively turn and hide the other way– into Hak’s chest.

“Jae-ha, leave her alone”. She barely hears Hak’s reprimand since she is preoccupied by thinking about his hand on her upper arm, shielding her from Jae-ha. She tucks her face into his chest completely and lightly grips his shirt. Yona can feel his chest move as he breathes along with his steady heartbeat, hoping that if he can feel hers too– he doesn’t suspect any other reason for its racing besides Jae-ha’s teasing.

She hears Jae-ha sigh before she hears Yoon yelling his name. Hak’s laugh resonates in her ears as she feels it under the palms of her hands. She knows that she doesn’t have any excuse to stay close to him anymore, but she can’t find it in herself to pull away from him. It makes it all the more difficult when she feels his thumb softly rubbing her arm.

“I know he can be a little over the top, but he doesn’t mean anything by it”, Hak starts, turning his head towards her. She peaks up at him, but still remains in the same spot.

“–Still though, it’s not okay– Are you okay?” he whispers, moving her hair behind her ear. She doesn’t dare to answer, fearing what her voice may sound like and what words may come tumbling out. She shakes her head, hiding her face in his chest. Hak doesn’t have to know that her answer has nothing to do with Jae-ha.

“I’ll make sure he gets an earful tomorrow when he’s hungover”. Yona shakes her head again, much to his confusion.

“No? But then he’ll just do it again”. Yona whines, not knowing what to reply. He sighs, whispering an, “okay”, before petting her hair. She wishes she could stay in this moment forever, wishes that he would always hold her like this. Well, that’s but a distant dream, since she’s just yet another girl who has fallen for him. She hasn’t tried making him see her that way since she’s seen prettier girls that her try and fail. Besides, if she tried, she would lose him as a friend and that’s not a risk she’s willing to take. Yet here she is snuggling up to him, subconsciously trying to make him see her as more than a friend.

All the alarms in her body go off as she forces herself to remove herself from him. Down to every cell in her body, screams to go back, to stay close to him. But her head will not listen to what the heart wants; since she knows that, she can’t have him. 

“It’s getting late, I should probably go…” Yona can’t look him in the eye, for she fears what her heart will do if she must peer into those pretty dark blue eyes.

“I probably should too”, he replies, surprising her forcing to make eye contact, despite her earlier reasoning.

“Huh? Why?”

“Well, like you said, it’s getting late and everyone else is shit-faced, so…” Hak rubs his neck and stretches. Yona replies a quiet, “okay”, as they grab their coats and say goodbye to the rest of the group. Jae-ha hoots something at them that Yona doesn’t understand. She turns to ask Hak about it when she is completely blown away by what she thinks is a faint blush on his cheeks and decides not to ask.

They leave the bar and walk back to campus– it somehow being even colder outside now. She rubs her arms, trying to warm herself up a little. She looks up at Hak, finding him looking up at the sky, the stars sparkling as they reflect in his eyes.

The snow reminds her that she still doesn’t have any plans for Christmas, making her groan. The sound gives her his attention, forcing her to explain herself.

“Ah, I don’t know what I’m going to do about Christmas”, she sighs and kicks the snow as they inch closer and closer to the dorms.

“Christmas? Aren’t you going home for Christmas?” he questions, confused at this revelation.

“I thought I was, but my dad’s swamped at work so he doesn’t have the time for Christmas… So then there’s no point in me going home, since he won’t have time for me”

“Oh, so you’re staying on campus then?” he starts, quickly facepalming and adding, “–well, duh… –sorry, that was a stupid question…” His sudden lack of confidence sends her for a spin, not used to him ever saying something like this.

“Huh? –No, Hak it’s not stupid, just ‘cause I’m not going home doesn’t mean I’m staying on campus, which –well, yes I am”, Yona instinctively places her hand on his arm to try and comfort him, which makes him look her in her eyes. She’s never seen him this unsure before, maybe something’s wrong?

“Hak?” When he doesn’t reply she adds in a soft voice, “Hak, what’s wrong?” That seems to do the trick; he blinks his eyes and clears his throat.

“–ah, sorry it was nothing”. Yona doesn’t believe him, but she doesn’t push it. She’s not his girlfriend– she can’t make him open up to her. She changes the subject back to Christmas since she feel like she can’t continue on this track.

“So, um…–What do your Christmas plans look like?” she tries to phrase it in a causal way, like small talk and not like implying that she wants to spend it with him (which she does). She has to look away from him, as her blush would be even brighter if she were to look him in the eyes.

“Oh, well, –I think the usual Christmas party here on campus is what I’ll end up going to, Jae-ha usually ends up dragging me there anyway”.

“Oh? There’s a Christmas party?” Yona didn’t know that there was a Christmas party and apparently, it’s a usual thing. She glances up at him as they enter the hallway to the dorms. He rubs his neck, eyes flickering to hers.

“Yeah, it’s some frat house that hosts it every year. Everyone who stays at campus over the holidays are invited”.

“Oh, well –that sounds nice?” she phrases it like a question, since he mentioned being dragged there. They’ve reached Yona’s room, but she hasn’t opened the door yet, wanting to talk to him just a little longer.

“I guess… it’s better than being alone on Christmas”

“–ah, true true…” she feels the conversation dying and she’s run out of ideas, so she all she can think of is at least thanking him.

“Thank you for walking me home back, you really didn’t have to… and thank you for earlier as well”, Yona smiles gratefully at Hak, obliviously fluttering her lashes.

“Ah, it’s no problem”, he replies bashfully, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. Yona opens the door to her room, waving and telling him good night. He returns the gesture and tells her good night as well, walking back down the hallway as Yona closes the door.

She leans her back against the door, sliding down to sit up against it, meanwhile hiding her face in her hands and letting out a high pitched noise. Lily is surprisingly still awake, though she’s reading a book– which she usually does before she goes to bed. She sticks a bookmark in the book, loudly closing it before sitting up and asking Yona about this evening.

Yona only makes a strangled sound from where she’s turned into a ball on the floor, making Lily sigh, “What happened this time?”

“–nothing special, really…” Eventually Lily manages to get Yona to retell what happened, making her huff at Yona– who still hasn’t gotten her thumb out of her ass.

“You do realize that you had the perfect opportunity to ask if you could go to the party with him, right?” Lily sighs softly, giving her a sympathy hug.

Yona nods, barely audibly whispering, “I know. I chickened out”.

“mm, ‘m sorry Yona… I’m not saying this to be mean, but you need to realize that you may lose your chance since there might be someone else who’ll steal him away? Not just in this case, but in general”. Yona groans, not wanting to think of the inevitable.

“Yona, how would you feel if he started dating someone? Wouldn’t you be heartbroken?”

“…you know the answer to that already, Lily”

“Then why won’t you tell him how you feel?”

“…I– …you know that I don’t want to lose him”, Yona feels tears pricking in her eyes. She really doesn’t like this conversation, one they’ve had countless times already.

“But if he starts dating someone else, you’ll lose him anyway”, Lily’s voice is soft and gentle despite her harsh words. She pets Yona’s hair as she holds her close.

“I– I know… but if I tell him, I’ll lose him ‘cause I fucked up, not cause he chose someone else”, her words burn her throat as she utters them, laced with her cowardice. She knows it’s just an excuse and that she will hate herself if she never gives her heart a chance– but she can never bring herself to tell him her true feelings.

The only thing that would push her to tell him is as Lily says; he could start dating someone other than her. If she were certain that there’d be no other girl, she’d probably never tell him that she’s in love with him for then she risks losing him as a great friend. And keeping him close is more important than gambling at something more.

Lily doesn’t push further, and switches to a more lighthearted discussion to ease Yona’s mind.

Later, when she’s lying in bed, she can’t help but smell his cologne in her dreams.

* * *

Christmas approaches way too fast, only the day before does she realize that she still hasn’t made any plans. She had been so busy figuring Christmas presents that she forgot Christmas itself. She doesn’t dare text Hak, so instead she texts a mutual friend that she knows won’t tease her about her crush.

**akatsuki-yona:**

> **hey, what’s up? ^^**

moonlight-shinah: 

> watching a hallmark xmas movie w/ ao
> 
> you?

**akatsuki-yona:**

> **having an existential crisis over tomorrow >w<**

moonlight-shinah:

> oh right 
> 
> you’re staying on campus for xmas, I forgot srry
> 
> so you don’t have any plans, or?

**akatsuki-yona:**

> **yeah…**
> 
> **Hak mentioned a xmas party, are you going to that?**

moonlight-shinah:

> yeah, I think so
> 
> you wanna go with me?
> 
> less scary for the both of us

**akatsuki-yona:**

> **yeah, that sounds great :D**
> 
> **thanks shin-ah, you’re the best <3**

moonlight-shinah:

> ah, it’s no problem
> 
> I should be the one thanking you :))

**akatsuki-yona:**

> **< 3**

Yona puts way her phone, sighing with relief. Crisis averted.

* * *

She spends longer time fixing her hair than she’s willing to admit. Fortunately, she decided on her outfit yesterday, choosing a pretty chiffon crimson dress that matches her hair color. The skirt is very light and flowy, flaring from her waist and ending at mid-thigh. The dress has short sleeves and a v-neck bodice. She hopes it isn’t too scandalous; she’s never dared to wear it at home for Christmas since she didn’t want to give her poor dad a heart attack.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she’s hoping that it will at least make Hak look at her, and perhaps even think of her in a non-platonic way.

She adds some tights, since it will be cold and also to tone down the promiscuousness. She grabs her black knee-high boots, a nice block heel that will give her some height, but also doesn’t make her feet freeze in the short walk from her dorm. It’s also a bonus that they’re steady and don’t have a flat bottom, so she won’t break her ankles slipping on any ice. 

She hesitantly grabs her coat since she doesn’t know what she’ll do with it when she arrives at the party, but she also doesn’t want to freeze during the ten minute walk. She hears a soft knock on her door, opening it to find Shin-ah on the other side.

“I’m almost done, I just need to grab my bag”, she explains, reaching for her purse and she double checks that she has everything, including her phone. 

The walk to the frat house is cold, but the company makes up for it. They step up on the porch, knocking on the large wooden front doors. A young guy opens the door, welcoming them and then walks away. The building is seems old, the ceiling at least two stories high with a grand chandelier, casting the room in asymmetrical light, reflecting off the crystals on the crown. An expansive staircase winds from the far right of the main room, leading up to the second floor.

There is less people there than she expected, expecting there to be lots of people– like a regular party. But then again, most students go home for Christmas.

It seems like Yona and Shin-ah are first to arrive of their friends, so they find a quiet corner behind the staircase. The corner has two, worn down sofas facing each other, with a low table in between. The music isn’t so loud here and the lights are warm and dimmed, causing it to feel cozy. They sit down on one of the couches as they wait– though it doesn’t take long for the others to arrive. First, it’s Yoon (not unexpectedly). He makes some comment about worrying about Ik-soo, but he’s not unbearably worried since priests tend to be very busy during Christmas anyway.

After Yoon, Kija arrives, visibly affected by Yona’s appearance, but he doesn’t say anything. He sits down next to Shin-ah, not wanting to make eye contact with Yona and only mutters a “you look very nice, Princess” to her, using an embarrassing nickname.

Hak and Jae-ha are fashionably late as usual, or so Jae-ha claims. Hak is wearing a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing his forearms. The sight makes Yona’s skin tingle, making her wonder how he could possibly make her any more attracted to him than she already is. The collar of the dress shirt is left undone, revealing his collarbones and upper chest. She has to look away so her face won’t match to the same shade of red as her hair and dress.

“–Oh wow, Princess Yona. You looking gorgeous, as per usual –but wow, that dress looks stunning on you”, Jae-ha basically purrs at her, flustering her from all the compliments. She stutters out a meek, “thank you”.

Jae-ha elbows Hak in the ribs telling him, “don’t you agree, _Thunder Beast_?”

“–uh, yeah… you look cute”, Hak hesitantly says, rubbing his neck, not really looking at her. She would think that he didn’t mean it if she didn’t notice the way his eyes flicker to and fro her, and the light dusting of pink on his cheeks and nose. Well, it could be from the cold outside, so she doesn’t really know what to interpret his body language as.

“T-thank you”, she internally curses at herself for stuttering, knowing that Jae-ha will definitely tease her about it. Jae-ha and Hak sit down on a couch in front of her, as the group makes small talk.

After about fifteen minutes, it seems like the actual party is starting. The volume of Christmas music increases and different party games are being played, like a regular college party. They decided that they should play a board game, not wanting to start out with something like truth or dare, since everyone is still a little bit on edge from the party environment.

They end up playing UNO, which lightens up the mood and settles the anxiety a little bit. Yoon and Hak gang up on Jae-ha, consistently playing plus twos and fours. Jae-ha gets all melodramatic, huffing about _how_ _mean_ they are and that they _should_ _be_ _nice_ _since_ _its_ _Christmas_. After the first turn ends with Shin-ah winning, Jae-ha decides that he’s going to sit in between Yona and Shin-ah, so that Hak and Yoon can’t bomb him with cards.

Unbeknownst to him, Yona is ready to lay it on him when the turn order changes. She peels off her boots, readying herself and pulls up her legs underneath her on the couch. Jae-ha is down to his last card and has called out UNO, thinking that he’s got this now, when Kija plays a reverse card. Yona looks at Hak, signaling that she’s got something up her sleeve so that he’ll play something other than a stop card. He seems to get the message as he plays a regular card. Jae-ha is very giddy, but he’s got another think [/thing] coming for him.

Yona can’t help the evil grin that spreads on her face as she reveals her true colors and bombs Jae-ha with cards. He looks completely dumbfounded and appalled at her attack, his jaw hanging open as he struggles to comprehend the treachery she just committed.

Hak tries to suppress his laughter, but when Yoon starts to crack up, he does too. Their laughter is contagious and soon everyone joins in, especially Jae-ha. He ruffles Yona’s hair, telling her that he _‘forgives her’_ , though that she should _‘watch her back’_ , while winking at her.

“What does that mean, Jae-ha?” she questions him with a smirk on her face and a hand on her hip, “you think you’ll scare me? Bring it on”. She flips her hair for good measure as she stares him dead in the eyes.

“–oh shit. –guys, help me” Jae-ha pleads, though everyone else in the group just snickers at him, and Yoon tells him that he’ll have to fend for himself, since this is Yona’s revenge.

“Revenge?” Kija being the airhead that he is, doesn’t understand what Yona would need to get revenge for.

“His relentless taunting, of course” Yoon deadpans.

“But so does _Thunder Beast_? I mean, it’s his hobby to pick on people” Kija smirks at Hak.

“Hey, don’t lump me together with _Droopy-Eyes_ , _White Snake_ ”, Hak narrows his eyes at Kija.

“Well, I think you just proved my point, since you still insist on calling me _White Snake–_ ”

“Guys, knock it off, it’s Christmas damn it”, Yoon scolds, making both Kija and Hak hang their heads, whining in unison, “yes, mother”, causing Yoon to go off on a tangent about how he doesn’t remember giving birth to them.

Yona’s mirth is contagious, her revenge on Jae-ha quickly forgotten.

They play a couple more rounds of UNO, where Hak and Kija attack each other, making Yoon huff, “these children”, and place himself in between them. Neither of the two dare to bombard Yoon with cards, for they don’t want to face his wrath. After Jae-ha manages to win, he announces that he needs a celebratory drink, ending the game while on a high. He grabs Yona’s hand, taking her with him.

“–huh? Jae-ha –wait…!” she stammers out as she tries to find her footing while being pulled along. When the rest of the group is out of sight, he slows down and apologizes to her.

“Sorry, I just wanted some company, that’s all”

“–but you could’ve just asked…?” she tilts her head as she questions his actions. Jae-ha keeps walking towards a large shared kitchen area, where there is a vast collection of different drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic. Yona wonders where all of it comes from, but figures that at least the alcohol can be easily saved and stored.

“…mm, but then there would’ve been a high chance that you wouldn’t have come with me, no?” he cheekily smiles at her, tapping his index finger on his lip.

“High chance? I wouldn’t have objected…?” Yona is still very confused about what he means, especially when he has that facial expression. He chuckles lightly before elaborating.

“Well, you see, there would’ve been others at the table that would’ve intervened, so I make hay while the sun shines”, he explains while pouring himself a drink. She jumps up to sit on the counter while pondering why someone would stop Jae-ha from bringing her as company– and why Jae-ha thinks he’s taking some opportunity while it lasts. He offers her a drink and she gladly takes it, thanking him before downing it all in one go.

“–whoa, okay. Uh, I was not expecting that”, his eyes go wide like saucers. Her throat burns, but it was much easier to just chug it rather than sip. She waves her hand at him, trying to dismiss his concern. Yona hands the cup back to Jae-ha and clears her throat, attempting to ease the stinging sensation.

“You want another one? I don’t think I should really offer you that…” he places the cup down on the counter, laying a worried hand on her thigh.

“…Yoon is gonna kill me…” he mutters under his breath, seemingly to himself.

“–um, i-it’s okay, I don’t want any more… but perhaps I could have some soda?” she smiles gently at him while placing her hand on his, trying to sooth his worries. He nods, but makes her drink an entire glass of water first.

When she’s finished chugging the water as well, she signals him to come close, cupping her hand by his ear whispering, “…you know, I won’t tell anyone if you don’t”.

He pulls back abruptly, his eyes somehow even wider than before. She can’t help but giggle at him, hopping down from the counter and starts walking back, turning to make sure he’s coming. Jae-ha chuckles, shaking his head at her antics. He follows her, carrying both of their drinks.

Yona makes it back before Jae-ha, climbing over the back of the couch instead of walking around. She plops down, only to realize that she’s sitting next to Hak. He doesn’t seem to mind– in fact he seems amused by her unexpected shenanigans, if judged by the look on his face.

Jae-ha shows up just moments after her and Hak instantly interrogations him, “What did you do to her?” If it weren’t for his smug grin, it could have been interpreted as accusatory, but thanks to his facial expression, it is instead taken as a rhetoric question.

Jae-ha laughs at Hak’s remark, though he doesn’t need to reply as he is saved by Yona’s pouting. She crosses her arms, “there’s nothing wrong with me”, tacking on a _hmpf_ and turns her head away as she juts out her lip.

“I never said there was, Princess”. The snarky comment causes her to turn around and lightly whack him on his arm, eliciting an “ _ouch_ , that hurt Princess” from Hak. This only causes her to whack him again, starting an infinite loop of childish banter between the two before Yoon intervenes.

“Knock it off, you too. Please act your age”.

Both Hak and Yona freeze, like they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They hang their heads, as they get scolded.

“Now apologize to each other”. Jae-ha snickers and Yoon sends him a death-glare, shutting him right up, for he doesn’t wish to face Yoon’s wrath. Yona mutters “sorry for hitting you” and Hak mumbles back “sorry for provoking you”. Yoon sighs, rolling his eyes and dragging his hands across his face.

Yona can feel dread building in her gut before Jae-ha even opens his mouth, for the pure mischief that spreads on his face is frightening.

“Oh, I have a great idea–“

“–No.”

“–oh, but Hak, you’ll love it–”

“–No.”

“–oh come on…” Jae-ha’s eyes flicker to hers, his grin spreading again. He kneels down before her, placing his jaw in his palms and elbows on the edge of the couch.

“Yonaaa, please ~”

“–uh…” she turns to Hak for help, though he can’t do much either. Hak sighs, raking his hand through his hair.

“This better be good, _Droopy-Eyes_ ”. Jae-ha jumps up with glee, clapping his hands in excitement.

“Oh yes, oh yes –it is!”

“Then spit it out already”

“We should play truth or dare!” Jae-ha twirls, too energetic. Hak sighs again, glancing at Yona and then back to Jae-ha.

“Well, I guess we haven’t got anything else to do…”

“–Yes!”

“–but! We will need to set some ground rules”

“Like what?” Kija chimes in; his interest piqued at the words ‘ _truth_ ’ and ‘ _dare_ ’.

“Well, for starters, we don’t want to be making people uncomfortable– it’s supposed to be fun” Yoon suggests, tapping his cheek with his finger as he thinks.

“Yeah, okay. Consent is key– I know that” Jae-ha winks, making Yoon mutter “annoying pervert”.

“Anything else? Otherwise you can mention it while we play”. They decide on a system that makes it so that the target person gets to question someone next, choosing whomever they want. If the target person refuses to answer the truth/dare, then the person sitting to the right of the target will become the questioner. To decide who starts, they pull straws, where the one who pulls the shortest gets to start. Yoon is the one to hold the straws, making sure that no one cheats.

“Oh” is all Shin-ah utters when he realizes that he gets to start.

“–um, truth or dare…”, he struggles to decide on who to ask, but eventually settles for Kija.

“–uh… truth”

“Chicken” Hak whispers, though not loud enough that Kija hears him. Yona giggles, drawing attention to her. She waves at Kija, trying to dismiss what he thought he heard. Yona pokes Hak as revenge for making her (laugh) cover for him.

“Hmm… what’s your favorite animal?” Yona wonders how anyone is possibly as innocent and kind as Shin-ah.

“–oh! Well, I don’t know if I have a favorite, but at least not any bugs”. Yona has to pull Hak’s ear to make sure he doesn’t laugh.

The game continues in a calm, innocent way until Kija asks the question to Hak.

“Dare”, he crosses his arms and smirks, full of confidence.

“Okay _Thunder Beast_ , I dare you to walk over to that girl over there and ask for her number”, Kija challenges triumphantly, pointing to a beautiful girl on the other side of the room.

Yona feels a twinge of jealousy that only increases when she remembers Lily’s words from a few days ago _‘if he starts dating someone else, you’ll lose him anyway’_. She barely registers Hak’s “alright” as she watches him approach the girl. The girl flusters as Hak talks to her, biting her lip and pulling her long, silky, blonde hair behind her ear. Yona feels her heart drop as Hak hands the girl his phone, so she could add herself as a contact.

Yona’s brain betrays her, thinking that Hak and that girl would make a cute couple. She can’t bear to watch anymore, so she slouches down on the couch, trying to hide her bright red face. Jae-ha places a caring hand on her thigh, not needing to say anything to convey his feelings of sympathy.

Before Hak comes back, Yona excuses herself to the bathroom. She walks on her tiptoes, trying not to seem hurried for she doesn’t want anyone to suspect anything. She walks through some hallways, finally finding a restroom.

Locking the door behind her, she grips the sink to steady herself. She looks up at her reflection, finding two very obvious (and ugly) blotchy patches of unmistakable blush. She takes a couple deep breaths, steadying herself. She figures while she’s actually in the restroom, she might as well answer the call of nature since Jae-ha made her drink all that water after all.

She checks her face in the mirror again, feeling better when she notices that the red blotches are significantly less bright. Yona leaves the restroom and tries to find her way back to her friends, weaving through the hallways. It doesn’t take her long before she’s back, putting on a brave face as she sits down next to Shin-ah, pretending like her bathroom visit was nothing more than a bathroom visit.

Yona whispers to Shin-ah, asking him who’s turn it is.

“Yoon just dared Jae-ha to _‘behave’_ for the rest of the evening and now they’re bickering about what _‘behaving’_ entails”, Shin-ah explains, making air quotations (air bunnies, if you will) when he says the word _‘behave’_. Yona smiles, thanking Shin-ah.

“Fine, I’ll _‘behave’_ ” Jae-ha huffs loudly nevertheless agrees, though doing the same thing as Shin-ah when he says the word _‘behave’_.

“Okay, if you don’t then I’ll get to dare you something new, alright?”

“Deal”. They shake on it before Jae-ha claps and his demeanor changes, his eyes focusing on Yona. _Oh no._

“Oh, Princess Yona… truth or dare?” he rubs his hands together as he plots something evil– she’s sure of it. She panics, thinking that he’ll ask her about her romantic feelings– even if she doesn’t answer the question, it answers itself by her dismissing it and she doesn’t feel like she can lie either. That’s at least the reasoning her brain makes as she utters the word “dare”, not thinking of how many much worse scenarios could be reality.

Jae-ha seems surprised by her choice, judging by the way his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline (or well, almost).

“Very well then, hmm… I dare you…” he rubs his chin as he thinks. His face indicates the moment the lightbulb goes on, changing from pensive to delight.

“I dare little Princess Yona to sit in the _Thunder Beast’s_ lap for the rest of the evening”

“–wha…” Yona struggles to comprehend what just happened, not knowing what to say.

“Jae-ha, I thought I just told you to behave” Yoon scolds, clearly not pleased at the turn of events, crossing his arms and gives Jae-ha a stern look.

“Well, in my defense, it’s within the rules of the game, no? If she doesn’t want to, she doesn’t have to”. Yoon sighs, though he doesn’t argue. Yona tries collecting her thoughts; if Jae-ha had asked her to sit in anyone else’s lap, she wouldn’t have a problem with it. So she draws the conclusion that _‘why should it matter that it’s Hak?’_

“Sure, I don’t mind”, she shrugs her shoulders, trying to seem indifferent– even though her heart is beating a mile a minute. Yona gets up from her spot next to Shin-ah and tiptoes over to the other couch where Hak is sitting.

He instinctively puts his hands on her hips, steadying her while she places hers on his upper arms, turning her hips to the side before planting herself in his lap. She decided that sitting sideways in his lap is less awkward than with her back facing him, so her legs sprawl over his thigh and onto the couch. Hak keeps one of his hands on her hip and places the other on her thigh, holding her back in place.

She has to try and reach enlightenment through repeatedly reminding herself that _‘this doesn’t mean anything’_ and that they’re just two friends playing truth or dare.

Because that’s the truth. Ugly… yes, –but it’s the truth.

“Hmm… Shin-ah, truth or dare?” Yona leans her head on Hak’s shoulder, focusing on the game and not her current situation.

“I’ll take truth, please”. She endeavors to ignore Hak’s thumb that’s lightly rubbing circles on her thigh. She redirects her attention (yet again) to anything but Hak, already knowing what question she wanted to ask Shin-ah.

“Okay, what’s your favorite Christmas song?” The way Shin-ah’s golden eyes light up at the question, warms her heart –he really is too pure for this game, for this world.

“Oh, wow… Um, I don’t know if I can pick a favorite… But I guess if I had to pick something then… it’s kind of cliché, but _‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’_ is pretty sweet or _‘Last Christmas’_ ”, Shin-ah smiles shyly, scratching his face.

“Oh, I love _‘Last Christmas’_!” Kija bursts out, clapping his hands, his excitement causing his body to tremble and his eyes to look glossy, like a kid in a candy store. Yona giggles behind her hand, relaxing a little bit since all eyes aren’t on her anymore.

“That was some juicy intel, Princess”. His low voice in her ear makes her jump, his breath warm on her skin. She feels his chuckle resonate in his chest, embarrassing her even further.

“Well, I couldn’t think of anything else”, she defends herself, anxiously picking at her nails.

“Touché”

He doesn’t say anything else and the others seem a little bit preoccupied talking about Christmas music, so the game is put on hold. Yona feels her eyelids drooping; feeling fatigued all of a sudden. The lights are so bright– it wouldn’t hurt just to close her eyes for a short moment now, would it?

She isn’t asleep for long, only a couple minutes and it seems like no one noticed, everything being exactly the same as when she first closed her eyes. It makes her doubt that she even fell asleep, though she knows she did when Hak asks her if she slept well.

“–huh? –I-I wasn’t sleeping…!” she whispers sternly, pushing away from him. Though, he holds her still, not letting her out of his grasp. Yona searches his eyes, feeling mortified but also confused as to why he won’t let her go– it’s not like him.

“If you say so, Princess. Though I’m afraid I can’t let you go, unless you want to receive another dare from _Droopy-Eyes_ ”

She can’t help the way her expression falls as she’s reminded that– oh right, this is just part of the game and it doesn’t mean anything. She breaks eye contact, staring off anywhere but his eyes, as she mutters an “oh, right”.

“Princess…?”

She tries to ignore him, however when Hak moves her hair behind her ear, she can’t really ignore him any longer, forcing her to meet his gaze. His eyebrows are furrowed, raised in concern, as his eyes seem to search for something in her face. Yona can’t bear the intensity of the situation for long and breaks eye contact again, pretending like she’s listening in the conversation happening amongst their friends.

“Yona, did I– …did I do something?” His question sends her for a spin, causing her to look at him with wide eyes, placing her hand on his arm and stutter out a stilted response.

“–huh? N-no…what– what makes you think that?”

“Ah, it was nothing”, he turns his head away; looking away from her though she can tell that he’s lying by the way his fingers twitch on her thigh and hip, and how his eyes flicker, never really fixating itself on something. His breathing has hastened– and so has his heartbeat. Yona doesn’t really know what to say to make him tell her the truth, so she just does what she knows might help.

She slips her arms under his and around his back, pulling herself in for a close embrace, hiding her face in his neck. She mumbles an apology for making him worry, savoring ever moment of the hug.

When she thinks her time for a platonic hug has expired, she begins pulling back, only to find that Hak wraps his arms around her in return, pulling her even nearer than before. Yona is afraid she’ll die of a heart attack, right then and there– when he buries his face in her neck.

His stubble scrapes her skin, making it all seem even more intimate– since that’s not something she’s felt before. She gets goosebumps from his slightly hot breath on her neck and collarbones, as well as when he blinks, his eyelashes tickling her skin. Even the way he holds her, with his hands on her upper and lower back, makes her feel like she’s on cloud nine, so affectionate yet resolute.

Unfortunately, the embrace ends abruptly with Hak pulling back, like he just remembered something. Yona attempts not to look dejected, though she probably fails. The others still seem busy, though no longer talking about Christmas music. She attempts to listen in on what they’re talking about when she hears someone call Hak’s name from the larger common room. She turns her head to see who’s hollering for him, noticing that it’s that girl again from the dare and some friends (or so it seems).

Yona feels frozen on the spot, since she knows she can’t leave his lap due to the dare, meanwhile she’s reminded that yet again– he’s not hers. Hak just waves at the blonde girl, not orally replying anything. He still has his arm around her waist, hand on her hip.

The beautiful girl stalks closer, noticing that– yes, there is someone sitting in his lap. She doesn’t seem discouraged by Yona’s presence though, somehow she seems even more confident.

“Hey, some of my friends and I were planning on playing a game of charades, you want to come?” her coy voice oozes seduction, biting her lip and fluttering her eyelashes as she gazes into his eyes, jutting out her hip and pulls her hair behind her ear.

“…Um–”

“–it’s okay, Hak”. His eyes jump to hers, as Yona places her hand on his chest, tilting her head while giving him a small smile.

“We’re not really doing anything anyway, so if you wanna go…” She doesn’t want to be holding him back, since she’s never going to get the courage to tell him how she feels.

“…you sure?” She can’t read his facial expression, but she nods anyway.

“…what about the dare then?”

“It’s okay… I’ll talk to Jae-ha. Either he’ll dare me something new or he’ll let it slide”, she shrugs her shoulders before slipping off his lap.

“…alright then”, he looks at the girl before getting up off the couch, walking around to her.

“Have fun!” Yona squeezes out, despite how badly her heart hurts at seeing him go. Hak shoves his hands into his pockets and follows the girl into the common room. Yona slides down behind the back of the couch to make the view of Hak’s back disappear from sight. The stinging in her chest is so painful that she clutches at her chest, trying to breathe and blink back the tears that are threating to spill.

“Huh? Yona? Where did Hak go?” The concerned voice forces her to look up, seeing wide golden eyes. She throws herself at him, hugging him hard and knowing that Shin-ah won’t judge her. He rubs her upper back gently with sympathy.

“Wait– where’s Hak?” _Shit._

“–um, Jae-ha…” she blinks at him, caught like a deer in the headlights.

“Where did he go?”

“…um, to go play some game… with the blonde girl, from earlier…”

“What? Why?”

“Because…” Yona feels like she can’t answer that Hak willingly went, since Yona kind of forced him to.

“–It doesn’t matter why”, the directness of Jae-ha’s voice startles her, forcing her to look into his eyes.

“You are supposed to sit in his lap for the rest of the evening, that’s what we agreed on”

“–yeah I know, but–“

“No buts, Princess. Unless you want me to dare you to go confess to him?”

Yona splutters, turning red. “–N-no! But it’s not like I would agree to that dare! It’s not within the rules!”

“Well, perhaps the rules don’t apply when you don’t follow through on a dare you’ve agreed to”

“–huh? That’s not fair!”

“Well, you’re not being fair to yourself either –you have to give yourself a shot”, his voice softens, sighing as he drags his hand through his hair, “what’s the worst that could happen?”

The worst that could happen, huh. There’s a lot of different thing that could happen, but the worst probably would be to lose him. A scenario where if he were to flat out reject her feelings, would be better than that– since she’d still get to see him. Yona folds her arms, closing in on herself. She doesn’t have to answer, receiving a comforting hug from Jae-ha.

Leaning in, he whispers in her ear, “…you know, Princess… Hak has never given a nickname to a girl before you… and you know what he’s like with nicknames…”

She feels hope inside her growing… maybe –just maybe, she has a chance.

“Well, besides… Shit, I really shouldn’t tell you this, but… Hak has a thing for redheads, you see”. Yona pulls back, completely speechless, blinking at Jae-ha trying to comprehend what he just said.

“Don’t tell him I said that, okay?” She nods, feeling her face burn.

“Go stand over by the stairs” he points to the stairs leading up to the second floor, “he’ll see you”.

She doesn’t understand why she should wait just there, but she nods again, slipping on her shoes before padding over to the foot of the stairs. Her heart is beating so fast that she can hear it rush in her ears.

Sitting down, she scans the room to find Hak. It doesn’t take her long at all, since he’s pretty easy to pick out from a crowd, being tall and all. Never mind that he’s downright eye-catching and fascinating and– and completely… completely wonderful.

Huh, she really is a princess, sitting here day-dreaming about her _Prince Charming_ from afar, just like Cinderella. He seems so untouchable, out of reach and yet– when his eyes meet hers, she can’t help but feel like he’s something tangible, but then again sacred, that she’ll taint with her presence.

Just like Jae-ha said, he excuses himself from the group (much to the blonde’s dismay), hurrying over to where she’s sitting on the stairs. _Shit,_ she didn’t think this though. When he gets close, he slows down, looking at her with his eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed.

“What are you doing, Princess? Did Jae-ha banish you for not following through with the dare?” He sits down beside her, bumping his shoulder with hers.

“Something like that…” she smiles apprehensively, but it quickly fades, as she stares at the floor. She inhales erratically, trying to take deep breaths as she leans forward with her elbows on her knees and face in her hands. Her curls falls like a curtain around the sides of her face, shielding her from view.

She’s in disbelief of how absolutely foolish she was to ever have the confidence to even _think_ of telling him. His unexpected but comforting touch on her shoulder makes her jolt, causing Hak to flinch and removes his hand from her as if he’d been burned.

“–I’m sorry…!”

“–No, no Hak… you just– you just surprised me, that’s all”, she clarifies while peering into his eyes.

“Oh, okay then” his shoulders sag, visibly relaxing, though he doesn’t reach out to touch her again. _Shit_ , she really did fuck up. Yona returns to her hunched over position, closing her eyes and cupping her nose and jaw with her hands, similar to a prayer as she struggles to take in air.

When his fingers reach in to move her hair behind her ear, she tries her best not to jump from the sudden brush of intimacy. She opens her eyes, fluttering her lashes as she struggles to focus her vision. She just about registers him reaching his arm around her before she is pulled into a consoling embrace.

“I don’t know what happened, but I’m here for you”, he whispers into her hair as he gently rubs her back. He adds, “Always”, making that little hope inside of her flare up again. She snakes her arms around him, holding him tight– as if she’s afraid he’ll let go.

She hears footsteps nearby, her heart plummeting as the person opens their mouth.

“–um, excuse me, but you guys know that you’re under the mistletoe, right?”

Oh _no_. This _can’t_ be happening right now.

“What?” Hak replies to the stranger, also in disbelief.

“Look up, above you”, the stranger points and– yup okay, there is a mistletoe strapped to one of the ceiling lights, right at the bottom of the staircase, where they are sitting.

 _–Oh,_ so that’s why Jae-ha made her wait there. _Shit._

The stranger’s declarations seem to have gathered other people’s attention too, as there is a small crowd forming. Yona’s brain is so deep in denial that all she can manage to articulate is the word, “–what…?” as she blinks her eyes, as if it would clear her hallucination.

Someone from the crowd hoots, “oooh~ now you have to kiss”. The comment makes her freeze, her blush spreading to her ears and chest, matching her hair and dress.

“You know, we don’t have to… if you– if you don’t want to”, Hak speaks in a low voice, intended only for her to hear. His fingers linger as he tucks her hair behind her ear. The way he’s looking at her is so… affectionate, that she can’t miss this opportunity. Maybe, this is her shot.

“But we do have to, don’t we? They won’t let us live it down otherwise”, she replies in the same tone, placing her hand on his thigh as she looks up at him through her lashes.

“Well, only if you’re okay with it…” Hak leans a little closer, but stays a comfortable distance away, in case she’d change her mind.

She nods, “yeah, you too?” leaning on her hand that’s on his thigh, tucking her hair behind her ear again as it keeps falling into her eyes. Her gaze drops to his lips, before back up to his eyes again. He imitates her motion, glancing down at her lips.

Hak whispers back, “yeah”, as he cups her cheek, inching closer to her– so close that she can feel his warm exhales on her face and see the pink that dusting his cheeks. His eyes flicker down to her lips once more, silently in question, giving her one last chance to back out. She leans forward, a little impatient, but doesn’t dare initiate.

Her eyes flutter close as he presses his lips to hers. She sighs at the contact, instinctively reaching up to touch his neck and pushes herself closer to him. As cliché as it sounds, she can feel sparks of endorphins flying inside of her, pulsing their way from her heart to her fingertips. Yona doesn’t want this moment to end, trying to savor every second of it. She endeavors to commit everything to memory, the feeling of his stubble scraping her skin, the way his hand presses on the small of her back, the smell of his cologne and last but definitely not least, the taste of his lips.

All too soon, it ends; after all, it was just one kiss. Hak pulls back, causing her to pry her eyes open. The sight she sees has her craving more. The blush on his face has deepened and his eyes seem to sparkle, despite the fact that his irises has since long been swallowed by the pupils.

Before she can second guess and overthink, she impulsively rakes her fingers through his hair, leaning close to him again, eyes darting between his lips and eyes. The second his eyes mimics hers, she leans in all the way, desperately pressing her lips to his.

His sharp intake of air as she clings to him makes her use more force, pulling him closer by the nape. He pulls her nearer by the waist, kissing her back with the same ferventness.

Sadly, this doesn’t last long either since they’re interrupted by a hooting crowd, cheering for the nice show under the mistletoe.

“Fucking finally”, someone loudly mutters. Yona hides her face in the crook of his neck, mortified by the attention– yet she’s ecstatic. Hak rubs her arm and presses a soft kiss to the top of her head.

A couple minutes later, Hak informs her that the crowd seems to have dispersed and he gets up from their spot on the stairs. He offers his hand to help her up, which she shyly takes and hoists herself off the stairs. The skirt of her dress needs to be straightened out, which she does with her free hand, since the other one’s fingers are laced with Hak’s.

She follows behind him back to their friends, still trying to make sense of what just happened. Silence befalls the group as soon as their friends can spot them, everyone’s attention on them.

“…why are you guys staring at us like that?” She hides her face in his back, not wanting to meet their prying gazes– while Hak faces them head on.

“Oh nothing really, you know… –just that we heard some loud cheering from the stairs after I had told Yona to go wait there, under the mistletoe” Jae-ha smirks, tossing his ponytail behind his shoulder before folding his arms across his chest.

“–oh and that you’re returning hand in hand with a blushing, bright red Princess”

“…Jae-ha… stop it” Yona whines, still hiding behind Hak. Jae-ha shuts up (for once) and apologizes, though only to Yona.

“Sorry”, he sounds genuine, making Yona peek at him, finding a soft smile on his face, “–but you know, I’m proud of you Princess”. She squeezes out a meek “thank you” before Hak and her sit down on the couch.

A few awkward silent moments pass, before Yoon declares that he’s going to the kitchen, taking _‘the_ _two troublesome kids’_ and _‘the well-behaved one’_ for some snacks, getting out of Hak and Yona’s hair.

Yona feels her heartrate pick up pace again, since it’s the first time she’s alone with him since… _that_ happened. She is saved by the bell though, since she hears a Christmas song playing from the common room, mentioning presents underneath the tree. It reminds her that she hasn’t given her Christmas gift to Hak yet. She locates her bag where she left it, hidden from view in a corner behind one of the couches.

She plants herself next to him again, reaching in her purse for his gift.

“–um, I almost forgot to give you your Christmas present… Merry Christmas, Hak”, she smiles at him, handing him his gift. It’s a small little box wrapped in Christmas themed paper with a dainty ribbon bow on top. His eyes widen in surprise, before he smiles and thanks her.

“Wow, –thank you… you really didn’t have to”

“You haven’t even opened it yet!” Yona giggles behind her hand. Hak peels the tape off, not wanting to rip the paper, which in turn makes Yona impatient. Eventually he has removed the paper, slowly lifting the lid of the box to reveal a lapis lazuli pendent attached to a piece of cord. He doesn’t say anything, only staring at it.

“–um I know you like blue, so I thought that it would suit you… –if you don’t like it, then–“

“–I will treasure it, thank you so much”, he whispers, smiling _so_ softly before redirecting his gaze to her eyes. A fuzzy feeling blooms in her chest, swelling with pride and happiness from his apparent gratitude. She reaches over to take the box from his hands, much to his confusion. She removes the shard from the box, and places the cord over his head.

“You’re welcome, Hak”, she softly smiles at him, glowing with content.

It happens too suddenly for her to even react; one moment she’s sitting there smiling at him and in the next, she’s in his tight embrace. When her mind has caught up, she wraps her arms around him in return.

“…you’re just too damn cute”, he mumbles into her hair, making her grip around him tighten. She can hear and feel his steady heartbeat _thump_ ing– grounding her, making her know that it can’t be a dream; it’s too realistic, too detailed to be a dream.

She loosens her hold on him, leaning back so that she can look at his face. His gaze is heavy; making her feel like it’s locking her in place. Yet, there’s no place she’d rather be than right here with him.

She reaches up to brush his cheek with her fingertips, filling her urge to be near him, to be nice to him. Hak immediately melts under her touch, closing his eyes as he places his hand on hers and presses his cheek into her palm. When he kisses her hand, all she can think is that she wishes he’d kiss her lips instead.

“H-Hak…”

The sound of her voice causes him to open his eyes, ever so slightly. He hums, not quite responding. Yona tips her head forward, moving her face closer to his. She has to place her hand on his thigh to steady herself as she leans toward him.

“Princess…” he whispers, barely audible as he moves her hair behind her ear and cups her jaw. Yona’s blush is fierce, spreading across her nose, cheeks and ears. She moves her hand from his face, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a bruising kiss.

Hak grabs her waist, carefully yanking her closer. She places her knee in between his thighs, sitting down on his leg. Her fingers end up entangled in his hair as she lightly sucks on his lips. Though, she finds her leg to be in the way, so she places it on the other side of his hip– properly seating herself in his lap. She sighs at the new found friction, her chest heaving from the excitement.

His hands wander to her hips, though not any further than that, much to her disappointment. She wiggles her hips a little, trying to signal him to move his hands; however, it just makes him grip her hips tightly and holds them in place.

“Hak?” she blinks innocently at him, not understanding his actions. His eyes are dark, completely void of any light– like black holes, consuming everything in their way, consuming her. His face is flushed, which he attempts to hide with the back of his hand.

“…don’t move your hips like that”, his voice is raspy and deep, sending all kinds of tingling sensations throughout her body.

“Actually, we should probably stop”

“–huh? Why?” she tries not to sound desperate, heartbroken or rejected– which she inevitably does. She places her hand on his chest as she tries to read his facial expression.

“It would be awkward if someone saw us… and besides, if we continue I don’t know if I could stop”

“Oh”

She tucks her face under his chin, hiding her intense blush. A couple moments pass as she grips his pendant, before blurting, “what are we, Hak?”

“Humans”, he deadpans.

“Not funny, Hak! You know– …you know what I mean…”

“…hmm, well… whatever you want us to be”

“…okay” she closes her eyes, kissing his pendent. After a short moment of awkward silence, Hak prompts, “well?”

“Well, what?” She leans back so that she can look him in the eyes, trying to yet again decipher what he means.

“What do you want us to be?”

“–oh, um…” She has to look away for his gaze is too powerful for her to bear.

“…um, I would like for us to be… uh, boyfriend and girlfriend?” she whispers, making eye contact after she finished her statement, though her timidity makes it sound like a question.

“Okay, then… then that’s what we’ll be, Princess”

She presses a light kiss to his lips, not wanting to speak for she fears her voice will be too strained from the heat of her emotions swimming through her.

She could not have wished for a better Christmas gift.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!
> 
> i felt like this one was harder to conclude than my other fic (if you haven't read it, you can read it [here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21710545)) so i'm sorry if the ending is kind of abrupt >w<
> 
> please let me know what you think!  
> kudos and comments mean the world to me <3 plus they motivate me to write more :D (not really that i'm lacking in that department rn tho lol)
> 
> if you'd like, you can follow my tumblr @[miserably-inadequate-fics.tumblr.com](https://miserably-inadequate-fics.tumblr.com/) for fic updates or other fun AnY stuff <33


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